Asd To Reconsider Its Policy On Corporal Punishment

The Allentown School Board decided last night to reconsider its corporal punishment policy, prompted by a request from a parent whose son was allegedly hit by a teacher last year.

Gail Ernst, whose son attends South Mountain Middle School, said there have been a number of incidents at the school where children have been struck by teachers.

"Someone eventually will get hurt or something worse," she said at last night's School Board meeting. "If only one child is hurt, either physically or emotionally hurt, then is the policy worth it?"

Board members Janice Williams and Patricia Hoffman both requested that the policy be re-examined for the second time in two years.

In October 1986, a seventh-grade math teacher at South Mountain allegedly paddled between 25 and 30 students after one student claimed his math book had been stolen.

This incident prompted the board to assess its policy, which had permitted teachers to use corporal punishment. Now, corporal punishment can only be administered in the presence of the building principal and with his or her permission, although certain exceptions apply.

Ernst filed a complaint with the district, saying she had given the district a letter advising that her child was not to be paddled. She told the board last night that her son still suffers from the incident - he has nightmares, she said, and is seeing a psychologist.

"Why did one child have to go through this?" she said. "There are so many other forms of punishment. Why do you feel teachers have to have the power to hit the child to teach or to have control?"

Michael Davis, the teacher, apparently has been involved in another incident at the school and was removed from the classroom last month. According to Superintendent Richard Cahn, his status with the district "is to be determined."

Ernst said this recent incident demonstrates the need to re-examine the policy.

"I still feel . . . we have a problem concerning our corporal punishment policy," she said, "I don't think this policy is serving the purpose it's put there for."

School Director Norman Ziegler disagreed. He said that one incident in a district with more than 13,000 students in session 180 days each year is a good record, and that the board "should stick with this policy."

But school Director Willard S. Clewell Jr. spoke out against corporal punishment.

"I want to go on record: I think corporal punishment should be forbidden," Clewell said, emphasizing that "in no circumstance should a teacher strike, shake . . . (a child.) They should keep hands off."

Ernst also requested that the district clarify what it means by corporal punishment. For example, she asked whether a teacher who grabbed a student and pushed him against a locker could be considered using corporal punishment.

School Board President Michael Combs interrupted Ernst, indicating that she was discussing an incident which the board did not want addressed at the public meeting.

In other action, the board voted in favor of the Lehigh County Community College budget.

The board also heard a presentation on the two ROTC programs at Dieruff and Allen High Schools. Speaking were Col. Albert Arnold for the Air Force program at Dieruff and Commander Henry Vargo and Chief David Taylor for the Navy program at Allen.

Thomas Henderschedt, a senior at Dieruff who is the ROTC squadron commander, and Steven Feichtel, the company commander and a senior at Allen, also spoke.

"There is more to the ROTC than short hair, uniforms and shiny shoes," said Feichtel, who has enlisted with the Naval Reserve. "I've seen a lot of leadership, I've seen a lot of people coming together . . . and working as a team."

There are 120 Dieruff students and 140 Allen students involved in ROTC programs. Vargo told the board that Allentown is the only district in the country that has two junior ROTC programs.